


Brother, Sister, Where Have You Been?

by EvieSmallwood



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Wheeler sibling bonding, i will never stop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-01-17
Packaged: 2019-03-05 22:12:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13397328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvieSmallwood/pseuds/EvieSmallwood
Summary: “Are you okay?”Mike shrugs, which makes her brow furrow, because it’s only occurred to her in the last hour or so how fucked up this last year has been for both of them—they’ve been grieving and hurting and they’ve been doing it silently.





	Brother, Sister, Where Have You Been?

**Author's Note:**

> Cash me writing about these two until I’m old and grey.

“What are you doing?”

She’s perched on the top of the Byers’ kitchen peninsula, legs folded criss-cross-applesauce and a carton of strawberry ice cream in her lap.

“Stress eating.”

Mike raises his eyebrows, but then he’s walking over and climbing up on the counter to sit across from her. The carton is gently taken from her hands, as is the spoon. Nancy swallows her mouthful.

“Are you okay?”

Mike shrugs, which makes her brow furrow, because it’s only occurred to her in the last hour or so how fucked up this last year has been for both of them—they’ve been grieving and hurting and they’ve been doing it silently; because _we’re all patriots in this house._

She hadn’t realised how much the whole thing had affected Mike. He’d gotten Will back, and she’d been so stuck on the fact that she’d lost Barb she’d almost forgotten he’d lost someone too.

It wasn’t like she’d really known El. They’d spent maybe twenty minutes together before she’d... disappeared. She hadn’t put two and two together, she supposes; Mike’s moodiness, his attitude, his constant tendency to lash out in anger—she’d written it all off as puberty. But then Eleven had walked through the door, and she’d _seen_ all of that tension lifted from his shoulders. She’d seen him drop that stupid useless candlestick and practically fall into her arms. They’d looked like two pillars who needed one another to stay standing.

And so Nancy leans forward and grabs his hand, which startles him a little. She studies the blue veins sticking out against his pale skin, similar to her own, and frowns. “You can talk to me, you know.”

Mike rolls his eyes. “You sound like mom.”

“Shut up,” Nancy snatches the spoon back. “I’m just saying... You’re not alone, okay?”

He nods. “Yeah, okay.”

They eat in silence for a little while. Nancy glances into the living room, where most of the kids are piled on top of Steve, fast asleep. She still can’t wrap her head around that, either.

“You’re not alone either, by the way,” Mike blurts. “I mean, I know you probably don’t wanna talk to me, but I’m here. If you ever change your mind.”

She sighs, because fuck, she hadn’t realised how much they’d fallen away from one another. They had been so close when they were small, and then she’d been embarrassed by him, which was so stupid. “Jesus,” she puts her head in her hands because it feels suddenly heavy.

Mike sighs. “Sorry.”

“No, you idiot,” she looks up and feels a ridiculous sense of desperation for him to just understand. “You don’t need to be sorry. If anyone should apologise, it’s me.”

He quirks a brow. “You?”

“I don’t want you to feel like... I don’t like you, or something. That’s not true. I should’ve been there for you and I wasn’t.”

“It’s okay,” he replies. The sincerity in his eyes surprises her—she hasn’t really seen that look before. He’s so grown up.

“I love you.”

Mike rolls his eyes. “God, Nance, don’t.”

“What?! I do. We don’t say it enough, y’know?”

He looks begrudging at first, but then his shoulders sag. “Yeah,” he acquiesces. “I love you, too, I guess.”

“Dick!” She punches his arm, grinning, and he laughs. It reminds her of old times, when they were tiny kids arguing over who was the best dragon slayer during make-believe.

She can’t believe she’s lived without this for so long.

**Author's Note:**

> I know it’s short, BUT I was thinking of maybe (I swear to god I should be cancelled) making this into a series? Even if I have like a million WIPs? 
> 
> If you guys want that, prompts are welcome :)


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